Visit new Rockford Pilot Police District officers, commanders today

The public is invited to an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. today at the Rockford Police Department's Public Safety Building to visit with officers and commanders from its new Pilot Police District.

The pilot program is a preliminary step toward a decentralized operational structure that divides the city among three police districts, each with it own commanders.

Officers have changed to a 12-hour shift that is meant to improve unity of command and they are being encouraged to take a community policing approach to solving neighborhood crime problems.

The Pilot Police District is known as District 2 and includes the central area of the city including the Kishwaukee Street, Seventh Street and 11th Street corridors.

Eventually, the plan is for it to be housed in its own station house but that wasn't accomplished before the pilot year began. District officers, investigators and neighborhood response personnel were given offices in a previously unused corner of the Public Safety Building.

Officials say this year will serve as a time when unanticipated issues with the new operational and command structure are discovered and ironed out before considering expansion to the entire city.

Community members can contact the Rockford Police Department District 2 offices at 815-961-2406 or its commander, Assistant Deputy Chief Doug Pann, at 815-961-3214.